Tag: conversation

Some days it feels just too hot to sit in the classroom. If you have a nice patch of ground nearby, why don’t you take them outside and allow the change of scenery to stimulate their imaginations? Here are ten outdoor activities which need little or no preparation. Scavenger hunt Make a list of items for your […]

Show and tell is one of those great activities that motors along under its own steam without needing much direction from the teacher. I really enjoy being able to sit back and listen to the students’ stories, jumping in when there are difficulties or adding appropriate vocabulary. If there are grammar points which need addressing […]

Activities Play guess the film to practice using the present simple for story telling. Movies scatter sheet (see how to use scatter sheets) Movie conversation cards (see conversation cards) Useful texts Can Social Networking Accurately Predict Oscar Winners? (Forbes)

This getting to know each other activity is an ideal first lesson activity. It’s simple to set up and works well for most levels above Beginner. Sketch or print out this first lesson interview template, I usually use two sides (10 topics). At the top of each row is a space for a topic title. […]

This past simple conversation activity helps give students practice of forming ‘did’ questions. Obviously, it’s best to do this on a Monday but you could do it at any time and change the time period focused on. For example, do it on a Friday and focus on events which have happened during the week. First, […]

This activity designed to get students expressing opinions about a range of topics is a great getting to know each other exercise. It works very well as a first class icebreaker with Intermediate and above students as it forces them to mingle and have conversations, and there’s an opportunity to discuss some of the issues raised […]

This simple activity can activate lots of interesting memories and lead to provocative discussions, as well as throwing up lots of useful school-related vocabulary. Ask the students to think of all the subjects they took at school and list them on the board. This can lead to interesting cultural and regional differences arising. For example, […]

Surveys are a great way to get your students conversing. When the surveys have been completed have students share their findings with the class. There is more than one way to conduct a classroom survey. Single question surveys. Sometimes better for lower level classes. Each student is armed with only one question which they have to ask […]

Here are some Christmas activities to help your students become familiar with the seasonal vocabulary. I often play Jeopardy with my students in their last class of the year so you might want to consider that too. 2018 News Quiz – arranged as Jeopardy cards but you could do it as a straight quiz […]